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Dance Academy

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For other uses, see Dance Academy (disambiguation).

Dance Academy
Series logo
GenreTeen drama
Created by
Starring
Opening theme"My Chance"
by The White Rhinos
ComposerBryony Marks
Country of origin
  • Australia
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes65 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Bernadette O'Mahony
  • Joanna Werner
ProducerJoanna Werner
CinematographyMartin McGrath
Camera setupMultiple-camera setup
Running time24–25 minutes
Production companies
  • Werner Film Productions
  • ACTF
Original release
Network
Release31 May 2010 (2010-05-31) –
30 September 2013 (2013-09-30)

Dance Academy is an Australian teen drama television series produced by Werner Film Productions in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and ZDF.[1] Series one premiered on 31 May 2010, and series two began airing on 12 March 2012.[2] Series three premiered on ABC3 on 8 July 2013 in Australia.[3]

The television drama lasted three series with 65 episodes. A film sequel to the television series, Dance Academy: The Movie was released by StudioCanal in Australian cinemas on 6 April 2017.[4]

Plot

[edit]

Dance Academy is narrated mainly from the perspective of Tara Webster (Xenia Goodwin), a newly accepted first year student at the National Academy of Dance in Sydney, which also doubles as a Year 10–12 high school for the dancers. Throughout the series, she learns to better her ballet technique, as well as learn contemporary ballet and hip-hop dance, while creating lifelong friendships and experiencing many hardships. In the first series, Tara soon befriends fellow students Kat (Alicia Banit) and Ethan Karamakov (Tim Pocock), Sammy Lieberman (Thom Green), Abigail Armstrong (Dena Kaplan) and Christian Reed (Jordan Rodrigues), as well as eventually getting to know her teacher Ms. Raine (Tara Morice).[5][6]

Series Two sees Tara return to the academy for her second year with the hope of representing Australia in an international ballet competition, the Prix de Fonteyn. This series introduces new students Grace Whitney (Isabel Durant), Ben Tickle (Thomas Lacey), Ollie Lloyd (Keiynan Lonsdale), as well as teachers Saskia Duncan (Brooke Harman),[7][8][9] and Zach, and sees the characters react to an unexpected death.

Series Three follows the characters in their final year at the academy as they compete for a contract in the dance company.[3] Grace and Tara obtain temporary spots in the corps de ballet, Kat stars in a dance film, Abigail and Ollie explore commercial dancing and singing, and the third years go on tour for a contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet throughout regional Australia.

Episodes

[edit]
Main article: List of Dance Academy episodes
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
12631 May 2010 (2010-05-31)5 July 2010 (2010-07-05)
22612 March 2012 (2012-03-12)24 April 2012 (2012-04-24)
3138 July 2013 (2013-07-08)30 September 2013 (2013-09-30)

Cast

[edit]
Six young actors in dance clothing.
The six main characters from series one, clockwise from left: Kat, Ethan, Sammy, Abigail, Tara and Christian
Actor Character Series Film
1 2 3
Xenia Goodwin Tara Webster Main Starring
Alicia Banit Kat Karamakov Main Starring
Dena Kaplan Abigail Armstrong Main Starring
Thom Green Sammy Lieberman Main
Jordan Rodrigues Christian Reed Main Starring
Tim Pocock Ethan Karamakov Main
Tara Morice Mrs. Lucinda Raine Recurring Starring
Thomas Lacey Ben Tickle Main Starring
Isabel Durant Grace Whitney Main
Keiynan Lonsdale Ollie Lloyd Recurring Main Starring

Production

[edit]

Dance Academy is produced by Joanna Werner's film company Werner Films Productions in association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Screen Australia, Film Victoria, Film New South Wales and ZDF for Germany. As of August 2012, airing rights to Dance Academy have been sold to 180 territories, airing on every continent except Antarctica.[10]

Casting and filming

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Series 1 (2010)

[edit]

Casting for series one began in early 2009 in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. All cast members had to be skilled in drama and dancing and had to cope with Australia's best choreographers. Filming began on 13 July 2009 and wrapped up in early November.[11] The series premiere was originally planned for a mid-2010 premiere on ABC3, however, like Dead Gorgeous, the premiere was pushed to ABC1 on 31 May 2010 and ABC3 on 6 June 2010.[12] The first series premiered on Germany's ZDF on 26 September 2010.

Series 2 (2012)

[edit]

Production of series two was officially green-lit by ABC and ZDF on 2 July 2010.[7] Casting calls were issued on 14 September 2010, and principal photography in Sydney took place between 31 January and 4 August 2011. Series two premiered on ABC3 on 12 March 2012 and ran for 26 episodes, airing each week from Monday through Thursday, ending on 24 April.[2][13][14]

Series 3 (2013)

[edit]

Screen Australia approved investment funding for a third series of 13 episodes on 5 December 2011.[15] Filming began 27 August 2012,[3] and ended on 27 November 2012. On 5 June 2013, Alicia Banit and Thomas Lacey appeared on ABC3's Studio 3 to announce the series 3 premiere on 8 July 2013.

Release

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Online streaming

[edit]

The show is available on streaming sites, including Hulu.com and Amazon.com. Entire episodes of all three series are also available, for free, on the show's official YouTube channel outside of Australia.

DVD releases

[edit]

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has released all episodes from series one through three on DVD—with series one and two across four volumes and series three over two—as well as series collections and a complete series one to three compilation.

Title Region 4
release date 		Episodes
Dance Academy –
Learning to Fly 		1 July 2010 (2010-07-01)[16] 1. "Learning to Fly, Part 1", 2. "Week Zero", 3. "Behind Barres", 4. "Minefield", 5. "Real Men Don't Dance"
Dance Academy –
Growing Pains 		2 September 2010 (2010-09-02)[17] 6. "Perfection", 7. "Crush Test Dummies", 8. "Growing Pains", 9. "Heartbeat", 10. "Through the Looking Glass", 11. "One Perfect Day", 12. "Pressure"
Dance Academy –
Turning Pointe 		2 September 2010 (2010-09-02)[18] 13. "Family", 14. "Turning Pointes", 15. "My Life En Pointe", 16. "Free Falling", 17. "A Midsummer's Night's Dream", 18. "Betty Bunheads", 19. "Fairest and Best"
Dance Academy –
Ballet Fever 		7 October 2010 (2010-10-07)[19] 20. "Ballet Fever", 21. "FOMO: Fear of Missing Out", 22. "Flight or Fight Response", 23. "BFF: Best Friends Forever", 24. "Heatwave", 25. "The Deep End", 26. "Learning to Fly, Part 2"
Dance Academy –
The Complete First Series 		2 December 2010 (2010-12-02)[20] All 26 episodes from series one.
Dance Academy –
Raising the Barre 		5 April 2012 (2012-04-05)[21] 27. "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated", 28. "Dreamlife", 29. "Faux Pas de Deux", 30. "Legends", 31. "Showcase", 32. "Like No One's Watching"
Dance Academy –
Breaking Pointe 		3 May 2012 (2012-05-03)[22] 33. "A Choreographed Life", 34. "Connectivity", 35. "The Break", 36. "A Good Life", 37. "Self Sabotage", 38. "Breaking Pointe"
Dance Academy –
Catch Me If I Fall 		7 June 2012 (2012-06-07)[23] 39. "Backstab", 40. "Rescue Mission", 41. "Moving On", 42. "Origins", 43. "Love and War", 44. "Catch Me If I Fall", 45. "The Nationals"
Dance Academy –
Win or Lose 		7 June 2012 (2012-06-07)[24] 46. "Tick, Question Mark, Cross", 47. "Ladder Theory", 48. "Win or Lose", 49. "Love It or Fight It", 50. "The Prix De Fonteyn", 51. "The Second", 52. "The Red Shoes"
Dance Academy –
The Complete Second Series 		7 November 2012 (2012-11-07)[25] All 26 episodes from series two.
Dance Academy –
New Rules 		4 September 2013 (2013-09-04)[26] 53. "Glue", 54. "New Rules", 55. "Second Chances", 56. "Short Cut Clause", 57. "Negative Patterns", 58. "Fake It Until You Make It"
Dance Academy –
The Ultimate Test 		2 October 2013 (2013-10-02)[27] 59. "Graceland", 60. "Traveling Light", 61. "Don't Let Me Down Gently", 62. "N'Fektd", 63. "Start of an Era", 64. "The Perfect Storm", 65. "Not for Nothing"
Dance Academy –
The Complete Third Series 		6 November 2013 (2013-11-06)[28] All 13 episodes from series three.

Awards

[edit]
Ceremony Award Nominee Result
2010 AWGIE Awards Children's Television: C Classification "Growing Pains" by Sarah Lambert Nominated[29]
2010 AWGIE Awards Children's Television: C Classification "Turning Pointes" by Greg Waters Nominated[29]
2010 Australian Directors Guild Awards Best Direction in a Television Children's Program "Behind Barres" by Jeffrey Walker Won[30]
2010 AFI Awards Best Direction in Television Jeffrey Walker for "Week Zero" Nominated[31]
2010 AFI Awards Best Children's Television Drama Dance Academy Nominated[31]
2011 Kidscreen Awards Best Companion Website Dance Academy Won[32]
2011 TV Week Logie Awards Most Outstanding Children's Program Dance Academy Won[33]
2011 Seoul International Drama Awards Best TV Drama Dance Academy Nominated[34]
2011 International Emmy Awards Children and Young People Dance Academy Nominated[35]
2011 Asian Television Awards Best Children's Programme "Learning to Fly, Part 2" by Samantha Strauss Nominated[36]
2011 Hugo Television Awards Children's Series Dance Academy, Series 2 Won[37]
2011 Banff World Media Festival Youth Programs (13+) – Fiction "Week Zero" by Samantha Strauss Nominated[38]
2012 AACTA Awards Best Children's Television Series Dance Academy Series 2 Nominated
2013 TV Week Logie Awards Most Outstanding Children's Program Dance Academy Won[39]
2014 TV Week Logie Awards Most Outstanding Children's Program Dance Academy Nominated[40]

Books

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ABC Books has released seven paperback novels, each based on a particular episode and from the perspective of a single character. The books are published by ABC Books and HarperCollins Australia.

  • Costain, Meredith (2010). Dance Academy: Tara: Learning to Fly. ABC Books. ISBN 978-0-7333-2894-7.[41]
  • Bouchet, Bruno (2010). Dance Academy: Sammy: Real Men Don't Dance. ABC Books. ISBN 978-0-7333-2879-4.[42]
  • Scott, Sebastian (2010). Dance Academy: Christian: Behind Barres. ABC Books. ISBN 978-0-7333-2897-8.[43]
  • Bouchet, Bruno (2010). Dance Academy: Kat: Anywhere but Here. ABC Books. ISBN 978-0-7333-2895-4.[44]
  • Elliot, Rachel (2010). Dance Academy: Abigail: Through the Looking Glass. ABC Books. ISBN 978-0-7333-2896-1.[45]
  • Costain, Meredith (2012). Dance Academy: Tara: Everything to Lose. ABC Books. ISBN 978-0-7304-9708-0.
  • Bouchet, Bruno (2012). Dance Academy: Abigail: Nice Girls Finish Last. ABC Books. ISBN 978-0-7333-3001-8.

Film: Dance Academy: The Movie

[edit]
Dance Academy
Directed byJeffrey Walker
Written bySamantha Strauss
Produced by
  • Joanna Werner
Starring
CinematographyMartin McGrath
Edited byGeoff Lamb
Music byDavid Hirschfelder
Production
companies
Distributed byStudioCanal
Release date
  • 6 April 2017 (2017-04-06)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

On 22 April 2015, a feature film adaption of Dance Academy was announced along with other feature film projects to have received funding from Screen Australia.[46] The film is a sequel to the television series, set 18 months after the events of series three, and follows Tara's journey as she pursues her dream to become a ballerina star.[47] Pre-production for the film, then titled Dance Academy: The Comeback, began on 17 April 2016.[48] Shooting for the film began on 29 May 2016,[49] and wrapped on 22 July.[50] The official trailer for the film was released on 25 December 2016.[51] The film, retitled Dance Academy: The Movie, was released by StudioCanal to Australian cinemas on 6 April 2017.[4][52] It was released internationally on Netflix under the title Dance Academy: The Comeback.[53]

Plot

[edit]

Twenty-year-old Tara's life is noticeably adrift. Eighteen months after the life-changing injury that occurred in the penultimate episode of the TV series, she finds herself taking a college writing class and working as a waitress in the Sydney Opera House, while her former dance rival and current roommate Abigail enjoys a place as a promising dancer in the National Ballet Company. Her best friend Katrina Karamakov is now a successful children’s television performer in New York while her close friend Ben Tickle is a principal for the Austin Ballet. Tara's boyfriend Christian is teaching dance to young children, and he asks a delighted Tara to move in with him.

Tara is in the process of suing the National Ballet for negligence in causing her injury. She stands to win close to a million dollars in compensation thanks to compelling evidence in the form of a personal testimonial provided by Tara’s former ballet teacher Ms Raine. However, after being casually invited to audition by the Company's artistic director, Madeline, Tara drops the court case and begins training. When her audition proves unsuccessful, she is convinced by Kat to take a trip to New York City and stay with her. Tara plans to spend the trip auditioning for dance companies. Christian disapproves of her plan and he ends their relationship shortly after she arrives in New York.

Tara and Kat have a happy reunion at first, but they have a falling out when Tara expresses concerns about Kat's lifestyle and mocks her current boyfriend. Tara also runs into another former Academy classmate, Ollie, who has been auditioning unsuccessfully for a long time and shows her the rigors of trying to "make it" as a dancer.

Tara leaves New York to stay with Ms Raine and her husband Marcus at their ranch in Austin. She hopes for an audition at Marcus' Austin Ballet, but Ms Raine pushes her to reevaluate her goals. Ben is also staying at the ranch, and Tara learns that his leukemia has returned. He is under strict instructions to avoid exertion, although he longs to dance. In defiance, Ben and Tara secretly create a contemporary dance on the theme of "Orpheus and Persephone" for the upcoming Fringe Festival, and they enter the festival as choreographers under the amalgamation "Benstara".

After successfully performing in the festival, Tara again encounters Madeline who has brought the company on tour to New York. After seeing Tara dance, Madeline offers her a place in the corps de ballet as another dancer has pulled out due to injuries. Having achieved her dream, Tara finds life in the corps demanding and unfulfilling. She ultimately leaves a performance after receiving a call from a distraught Ollie, who has replaced Tara as dancer in "Benstara" and as Ben's carer, telling her that Ben has collapsed and is in hospital.

Tara resigns from the company and reunites with Kat and Christian, who has flown in from Australia to tell her that he misses her. Inspired by Tara's rebellion, Abigail takes Tara's original place in the fringe performance despite her active contract with the National Ballet Company whilst Tara and Christian watch from the wings.

Back in Sydney, the friends watch and participate in a high-energy performance by Christian's dance students at the Samuel Lieberman Centre. Having realised her new ambition to become a choreographer, Tara maps out her plans for her next piece in the journal she receives from Christian, confidently predicting, "this next part is going to be amazing", presumably referring not only to the dance but their future together.

References

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  1. ^ "Dance Academy: World Premiere: starts 5:20pm Monday May 31, ABC1". ABC TV Blog. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Dance Academy Returns for a Second Series" (PDF). Care for Kids (118). Australian Children's Television Foundation. November 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  3. ^ a b c Knox, David (27 August 2012). "Cameras roll on Dance Academy season three". TV Tonight. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  4. ^ a b Windsor, Harry (24 March 2017). "Joanna Werner preps ABC TV-movie to shoot in July, 'Dance Academy' release". Inside Film. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  5. ^ Knox, David (17 May 2010). "Dance Academy". TV Tonight. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  6. ^ Knox, David (13 July 2009). "Tara Morice heads up Dance Academy". TV Tonight. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Victoria ends financial year with a Slap". Encore Magazine via Mumbrella.com.au. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  8. ^ "Cameras start rolling on Dance Academy, Series Two". ABC TV Blog. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  9. ^ Knox, David (24 February 2012). "Returning: Dance Academy". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  10. ^ Dickson, Jeremy (27 August 2012). "Production begins on Dance Academy season three". Kidscreen.com. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  11. ^ "Dance Academy Kicks Off Today". ABC.net.au (Press release). Australian Broadcasting Company. 13 July 2009. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  12. ^ Knox, David (12 May 2010). "Airdate: Dance Academy". TV Tonight. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  13. ^ "Casting: Female 17 Plus Supports Dance Academy Series 2". Dare 2 Audition. 14 September 2010. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
  14. ^ Knox, David (5 March 2012). "Ready to Dance". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  15. ^ Calder, Teri (5 December 2011). "Screen Australia investment triggers $97 million in production". Screen Australia. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  16. ^ "Dance Academy – Learning To Fly". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  17. ^ "Dance Academy – Growing Pains". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  18. ^ "Dance Academy – Turning Pointes". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  19. ^ "Dance Academy – Ballet Fever". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  20. ^ "Dance Academy – Complete First Season". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013.
  21. ^ "Dance Academy: Series 2 Part 1 Raising The Barre". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  22. ^ "Dance Academy: Series 2 – Breaking Pointe". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  23. ^ "Dance Academy: Series 2 – Catch Me If I Fall". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  24. ^ "Dance Academy: Series 2 – Win or Lose". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  25. ^ "Dance Academy: Complete Series 2". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  26. ^ "Dance Academy: Season 3 – Part 1: New Rules". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  27. ^ "Dance Academy – Series 3 Part 2 – The Ultimate Test | DVD | ABC Shop". ABC. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  28. ^ "Dance Academy – Series 3 | DVD | ABC Shop". ABC. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  29. ^ a b "2010 AWGIE Awards Nominations". AWG.com.au. Australian Writers' Guild. Archived from the original on 7 August 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  30. ^ Knox, David (24 September 2010). "SBS, ABC win at Director's Awards". TV Tonight. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  31. ^ a b "2010 Samsung Mobile AFI Awards Nominees & Winners". AFI.org.au. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012.
  32. ^ Castleman, Lana (18 February 2011). "And the KidScreen Awards go to..." Kidscreen.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  33. ^ McWhirter, Erin (2 May 2011). "Karl Stefanovic wins the Gold Logie". TV Week. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012.
  34. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (25 July 2011). "'Neighbours' lands international drama award nomination". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  35. ^ Diaz, Amanda (5 October 2011). "Dance Academy picks up International Emmy nomination". Inside Film. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  36. ^ Dallas, Sam (14 December 2011). "My Place and The Amazing Race Australia win at 2011 Asian Television Awards". Inside Film. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  37. ^ "2011 Hugo Television Award Winners". Cinema Chicago. 2011. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  38. ^ "Werner Film Productions – 2011 Banff Nominee". BanffMediaFestival.com. 2011. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012.
  39. ^ Knox, David (7 April 2013). "2013 Logie Awards: winners". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 9 April 2013.
  40. ^ Knox, David (27 April 2014). "Logie Awards 2014: winners". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014.
  41. ^ "Dance Academy: Tara: Learning to Fly". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  42. ^ "Dance Academy: Sammy: Real Men Don't Dance". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  43. ^ "Dance Academy: Christian: Behind Barres". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  44. ^ "Dance Academy: Kat: Anywhere but Here". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  45. ^ "Dance Academy: Abigail: Through the Looking Glass". ABC.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  46. ^ Bodey, Michael (22 April 2015). "Dance Academy film wins SA funding". The Australian. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  47. ^ Knox, David (23 April 2015). "Dance Academy comeback on the big screen". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  48. ^ Strauss, Samantha (17 April 2016). "Yay! First day of pre-production". Retrieved 5 May 2016 – via Twitter.
  49. ^ Strauss, Samantha (29 May 2016). "I can't wait either! We started filming today". Retrieved 9 June 2016 – via Twitter.
  50. ^ Kaplan, Dena (21 July 2016). "Heading to set..." Retrieved 23 July 2016 – via Twitter.
  51. ^ Strauss, Samantha (25 December 2016). "Dance Academy Movie Official Trailer". Retrieved 2 January 2017 – via Twitter.
  52. ^ Hawker, Philippa (1 April 2017). "Dance Academy: The Movie – back to the ballet". The Australian. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  53. ^ Brayson, Johnny (July 2018). "The New Movies & Shows on Netflix This Week Include One of the Best Series You Missed Last Year". Bustle. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
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